Bat Captured In Home Proves Rabid Family Begins Series Of Shots; It’s First Bozeman Case In Years

A Bozeman family that found a bat in their home is undergoing a series of shots after tests determined the bat had rabies.

Dr. A.W. Layton, assistant administrator and pathologist at the state Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory here, said it was the first rabid bat in the Bozeman area that he could recall in his five years with the lab.

The lab is operated by the Department of Livestock and does all the rabies testing in Montana.

Layton noted that two Montanans died of rabies recently, in Missoula and Great Falls, and both were infected by bats.

Rabies is common in bat populations in the West. Of 77 bats tested in the last two months, Layton said, five had rabies.

The Bozeman family captured the bat in their house with a plastic bucket, froze it and took it to the lab.

A person does not have to be bitten to contract the virus. It can enter the body through an open wound or mucous membrane.

Layton advised anyone confronted by a bat, even a dead one, to wear heavy gloves and capture the animal in a jar or other sealed container.

Other advice:

Bring the animal as soon as possible to a local veterinarian or the state diagnostic lab. Testing is free.

Avoid decomposition, or using chemicals to kill it, both of which could affect the animal’s brain and make it harder to get an accurate test.

Wash your hands immediately after capturing the animal, even if you haven’t touched it.